Carrier carton



1964 I F. PHILLIPS, JR 3,

CARRIER CARTON Filed May 16, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @miz.

INVENTOR #7 Earp Z. PHILL/PSIK 4 ATTORNEYS Nov. 24, 1964 F. L. PHILLIPS, JR

CARRIER CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1962 2 2, v. 4 3 m M O i? MM w 4 P A 4% 4 6 4 8 3: a p

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MM 7 11 M x A a 4 I 8 m 7 8 a n m 4 2 A/ I U u 2 I m 4 /4 0 IO 0 a6 United States Patent 3,153,286 ARRIER EARTGN Floyd L. Phillips, 35's., Lynehbnrg, Va, assignor to Cali! Dominion Box fiornpany, Inc, Lynehburg, Va, a corporation of Virginia Filed May 16, 1962, Ser. No. 195,140 4 Claims. (El. 229-115) This invention relates to collapsible paperboard cartons having separating tabs projecting upwardly from the bottom thereof for preventing bottles or the like from striking one another during use of the carton. In particular, it relates to a blank having separating tabs integral therewith which raise into position automatically upon manipulating the blank into the form of a carton.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved blank of paperboard or the like which is easily and quickly formed into a foldable or collapsible carrying carton having merchandise separating tabs projecting upwardly into the carton from the bottom thereof.

It is a further object to provide an improved blank for a carrying carton having tabs thereon which automatically pop up or become erected from the bottom of the carton when said blank is formed into the carton.

Briefly, these and other objects are accomplished in the present invention by the provision of foldable tabs integral with the bottom-forming parts of a foldable blank, the tabs being so shaped and located that they are automatically raised to their functional position by interaction with the bottom-forming parts when the blank is manipulated into a carton. The invention will be more fully understood by a reading of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a flat blank embodying the principles of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a carton formed from the blank of FIGURE 1, showing the separating tabs in their raised, functional position.

FIGURE 3 is a plan sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 3a is a plan sectional view corresponding'to FIGURE 3, showing the position of the parts of the blank as they approach the completed carton position of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational, sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5:: is an elevational, sectional view corresponding to FIGURE 5, showing the position of the bottom-forming parts as they approach the completed carton position of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 6 is a bottom plan view of the carton of FIGURE 2.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a flat, one-piece blank 10 embodying the principles of the present invention is shown in a plan view with dotted lines illustrating the fold, or score, lines to be used in forming a completed carton. The body of the blank 10 is generally rectangular in shape and consists of integral side-forming pieces 12 and end-forming pieces 14 difierentiated from each other by fold lines 16. Each of the end pieces 14 is rectangular in shape while each of the side pieces 12 has a portion 13 extending therefrom toward the top of the drawing. One of the side pieces has a lateral tab 15' extending therefrom for gluing or otherwise securing to the far end piece 14.

Each side piece 18 is integral with a generally rectangular handle-forming piece 20 along a fold line 22.

Each handle forming piece 20 is free of its respective side piece 12 along a cut line 23 which defines a top edge 24 of the side piece and a bottom edge 25 of the handle piece. The top of each handle piece is provided with a suitable finger slot 26 having a depending tab portion 28 projecting thereinto along a fold line 31). The general shape and relationship of the side, end, and handle parts (12, 14- and 20, respectively) described above are conventional in the art and are described here primarily for the purpose of illustrating a complete blank and carton formed thereof.

The present invention is primarily concerned with the bottom-forming pieces shown in a plan view of their fiat position in FIGURE 1 and in various other. positions and views in the other figures. In particular, the invention is concerned with the provision of a pair of pop-up separating tabs 32, each of which is associated with one of the side pieces 12 through one of the several bottomforming pieces. As will be apparent from the following description, these separating tabs are formed so as to raise automatically into position when the carton is formed from the blank.

Each side and end piece 12 and 14 of the blank 10, as

shown in FIGURE 1, is provided with a bottom-forming piece which interacts with at least one other bottom piece to form the bottom of the carton when the blank is properly folded. Each end piece 14 is provided with a depending trapezoidal bottom-forming piece 34 which is coextensive along the longer of its parallel sides with the bottom of the end piece, the junction of the two being indicated by fold line 36. The edge of piece 34 opposite the fold line 36 is identified at 38 and the non-parallel sides by 40 and 42. Integral with each side piece 12 along a fold line 44 and coextensive with the side piece is a depending bottomforming piece 46 having a periphery formed by a plurality of interconnecting straight edges. Each bottom piece 46 has basically the shape of a rectangle from which several portions have been cut away to produce the desired shape of its lower edge. As seen in FIGURE 1, the piece 46 is coextensive with the side piece 12 along one side of its rectangle at the fold line 44, and the two outer corners of the rectangle are formed by edges 48 and 50 and by 52 and 54.

Intermediate the ends of each piece 46, a separating tab 32 is formed by cutting away portions of bottom piece 46 so as to leave tab 32 integral therewith along a fold line 56 which is transverse to the piece 46.

As seen in FIGURE 1, tab 32 has an outer edge 58 which is parallel to and intended from the outer edges 5t) and 54 of the bottom piece 46. The left end of edge 58 abuts an inclined edge 69 on bottom 46 which is continuous with edge 54). This edge 60 serves as a camming, or activating edge for the tabs 32 during manipulation of the blank. At the abutment of edges 58 and 60, a short out line 62 extends inwardly to connect with fold line 56, providing an edge 64 on bottom 46 and an edge 66 on the tab. At the right end of tab 32, a trapezoidally shaped piece has been cut away from bottom 46 leaving an edge 68 on the free end of the tab parallel to edge 66 and edges 7% and 72 on the bottom 46. Edges 72, 54 and 52 and a fold line 74 define an end forming portion 76 which is secured to adjacent piece 34 in a completed carton.

A cut '78 through piece 46 consisting of four short interconnected straight cuts extends from the left end of edge 79 to the inner end of fold line 56 and defines the inner edges of the tab 32. As seen in FIGURE 1, these inner edges consist of edge 89 extending from fold line 56, edge 82 and edge 84 which connects with edge 63.

Thus, it will be seen that each of the separating tabs 32 has generally the shape of a rectangle from a corner of which a small rectangular piece has been cut away. Each tab is integral with its respective bottom piece along a portion of the short end resulting from the cut-away corner, has an adjacent, irregular side facing inwardly of the blank. The width of the free end of the tab, defined by edge 68 is consequently greater than the sum of the fold line 56 and the out line 62. The outer edge of each tab is parallel to and slightly indented from the major portion of the outer edge of its respective bottom piece and a relatively small portion of the outer edge of the bottom is inclined inwardly toward the outer edge of the tab. As will be apparent from the following description, the inwardly inclined surfaces will engage and slide along one another during manipulation of the blank and will automatically cause both tabs to become substantially perpendicular to the remainder of the carton bottom.

In order to place the flat unfolded blank in an operative condition, the opposite ends of the blank are secured to each other by folding the blank along fold lines 16 and gluing or otherwise attaching tab to the far end piece 14, as seen in FIGURE 3a so as to form the sides 12 and ends 14 into an integral unit. Then each tab 76 is overlapped and secured to its adjacent piece 34 in such a position that edge 52 is substantially superimposed on fold line 36, as seen in FIGURE 6. The semi-formed carton may then .be flattened by pressing inwardly along fold lines 74 whereby all the bottom-forming pieces 34, 46, and 76 fold inwardly along fold lines 36, 44 and 74. Simultaneously, the sides 12 with integral handle portions move both toward and longitudinally of each other until they engage so that a compact, collapsed carton results. Handle portions 29, which become superimposed on each other during the collapsing movement just described, are then secured together. In practice, these assembly steps will be carried out by the maker of the blank so that a collapsed carton, ready to be expanded into a closed-bottom, open-top carton by a simple manual operation, may be supplied to the user.

The collapsed carton described above may be opened into a closed-bottom carrying carton having merchandiseseparating tabs 32 projecting upwardly from the bottom by a single manual operation. Conveniently, the collapsed carton is grasped with both hands with the top of the carton facing the user. A thumb is placed along the upper edge of each end piece 14 and the fingers along the edge formed at fold line 36. End pieces are then pivoted with respect to the sides 12 along axes formed by fold lines 16 so that the ends and sides open into a parallelogram when viewed from the top. Continued pivotal movement of the ends with respect to the sides causes the bottom pieces 34, 46 and '76 to pivot outwardly as a result of the attachment of these pieces to each other at portion 76. Further pivoting of the ends to a position at right angles to the sides 12 raises the tabs 32 and locks all the pieces in their final position. The partially expanded, parallelogram-shaped carton is shown in a top plan sectional view in FIGURE and the completely expanded, locked carton is shown in a similar view in FIGURE 3 and in perspective in FIGURE 2.

As best seen in FIGURES 3a and 5a, the raising of tabs 32 results from the action of camming edge 60 on one of the bottom pieces 46 with the tab 32 on the other bottom piece 46. As bottom pieces 4-6 move downwardly in FIGURE 5a as a result of the force applied to ends 14 their camming edges 60 engage and slide along each other until they engage ends 58 opposite the tabs. Continued movement of the ends 14, and consequently of pieces 46, causes a narrow portion of the pieces 46 adjacent edges 60 to slide along and exert pressure on edges 58 of the opposite tabs, causing the latter to begin to fold upwardly with respect to pieces 46 along fold lines 56.

As the tabs 32 are forced upwardly, edges 60 in moving downwardly exert continuously greater folding pressure on edges 58. When the corners formed by edges 60 and 64 of pieces 46 engage the corners formed .by edges 58 and 66 of the tabs, the latter are rapidly folded to a position at right angles to the pieces 46 and into tight engagement with each other along a major portion of their opposed surfaces. Simultaneously, pieces 46 complete their downward movement to form a bottom, each edge 64- sh'ding along the opposite tab until the pieces 46 engage each other in overlapping relation. The pieces 46 and the tabs 32 remain locked in this position as a result of the tight engagement of the tabs 32 with each other. As is apparent in FIGURES 3 and 4, the fold lines 56 of the tabs become substantially coplanar in the expanded carton so that the portion of the tabs adjacent the fold lines are pressed tightly together.

While the separating tabs of the present invention have been described in combination with specific bottomforming pieces 34, .6, and 76, it should be understood that the particular shape and relationship of the bottomforining pieces may be varied from that disclosed so long as the location and function of tabs 32 is achieved. Similarly, the shape and size of the separating tabs may be varied, it being necessary only to retain the limitations defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a carton-forming blank which comprises a pair of opposite-side-forming portions each having a bottomforming portion integral therewith along a longitudinal fold line, said bottom-forming portions being adapted to interlock with each other to form a carton bottom which connects said opposite side portions, the improved construction which provides a merchandise-separating structure projecting upwardly from said bottom, said improved construction including a tab integral with each bottomforming portion only along a substantially straight fold line which is transverse to said bottom forming portion and to said side forming portion and which extends from a point near the outer edge of said bottom-forming portion inwardly toward said side-forming portion, said blank being cut from said point to the outer edge of said bottomforming portion, each of said tabs having generally the shape of a rectangle from a corner of which a smaller rectangle has been cut away whereby said tab has an outer straight edge defining a part of the outer edge of said bottom-forming portion, an irregular inner edge facing inwardly toward said side-forming piece, a straight end which is coextensive with said fold line and said out and a free end opposite said fold line and cut, said free end being of greater width than the sum of said fold line and said cut.

2. A carton-forming blank as in claim 1 wherein the outer edge of each tab is indented with respect to a portion of the outer edge of the remainder of said bottomforming portion and wherein a substantially straight edge slopes from said portion of the outer edge inwardly to the outer end of said fold line.

3. In a carton-forming blank which comprises a pair of opposite-side-forming portions each having a bottomforming portion integral therewith along a longitudinal fold line, said bottom-forming portions being adapted to interlock with each other to form a carton bottom which connects said opposite side portions, the improved construction which provides a merchandise-separating structure projecting upwardly from said bottom, said improved construction including a tab integral with each bottomforming portion only along a substantially straight fold line which is transverse to said bottom-forming portion and to said side-forming portion and which extends from a point near the outer edge of said bottom-forming portion inwardly toward said side-forming portion, said blank being cut from said point to the outer edge of said bottom-forming portion, each of said tabs having generally the shape of a rectangle from a corner of which a smaller rectangle has been cut away whereby said tab has an outer straight edge defining a part of the outer edge of said bottom-forming portion, an irregular inner edge facing inwardly toward said side-forming portion, a forming portions and wherein a portion of the latter is straight end which is coextensive with said fold line ut away adjacent the free end of the tabs. and said out and a free end opposite said fold line and said cut which is of greater width than the sum of said References Cited in the file of this patent fold line and said cut, the outer edge of each tab being 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS indented with respect to a portion of the outer edge of the remainder of the respective bottom-forming portion, 2,543,821 Arneson 6, 1951 there being a substantially straight edge sloping from said 2,712,882 Buttery J ly 1955 portion of the outer edge to the tab. 2,821,328 Ramsay J an. 28, 1958 4. A carton-forming blank as in claim 3 wherein said 10 2,879,934 Flynn Mar. 31, 1959 tabs are intermediate the ends of the respective bott'om- 2,909,311 Levitt Oct. 20, 1959 

1. IN A CARTON-FORMING BLANK WHICH COMPRISES A PAIR OF OPPOSITE-SIDE-FORMING PORTIONS EACH HAVING A BOTTOMFORMING PORTION INTEGRAL THEREWITH ALONG A LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINE, SAID BOTTOM-FORMING PORTIONS BEING ADAPTED TO INTERLOCK WITH EACH OTHER TO FORM A CARTON BOTTOM WHICH CONNECTS SAID OPPOSITE SIDE PORTIONS, THE IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION WHICH PROVIDES A MERCHANDISE-SEPARATING STRUCTURE PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM, SAID IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING A TAB INTEGRAL WITH EACH BOTTOMFORMING PORTION ONLY ALONG A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT FOLD LINE WHICH IS TRANSVERSE TO SAID BOTTOM FORMING PORTION AND TO SAID SIDE FORMING PORTION AND WHICH EXTENDS FROM A POINT NEAR THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM-FORMING PORTION INWARDLY TOWARD SAID SIDE-FORMING PORTION, SAID BLANK BEING CUT FROM SAID POINT TO THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID BOTTOMFORMING PORTION, EACH OF SAID TABS HAVING GENERALLY THE SHAPE OF A RECTANGLE FROM A CORNER OF WHICH A SMALLER RECTANGLE HAS BEEN CUT AWAY WHEREBY SAID TAB HAS AN OUTER STRAIGHT EDGE DEFINING A PART OF THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM-FORMING PORTION, AN IRREGULAR INNER EDGE FACING INWARDLY TOWARD SAID SIDE-FORMING PIECE, A STRAIGHT END WHICH IS COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID FOLD LINE AND SAID CUT AND A FREE END OPPOSITE SAID FOLD LINE AND CUT, SAID FREE END BEING OF GREATER WIDTH THAN THE SUM OF SAID FOLD LINE AND SAID CUT. 